Armored Tales: Suiko's Tale
by Dragon Dagger
Summary: The story of how the Armor of Suiko became the Armor of Torrent. At least my version of it
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

In a time that has long since past. Five extraordinary Samurai warriors were gifted with a magic armor and abilities far beyond that of a normal mortal. Indeed, this armor was so unique in that it made its bearer immortal to any thing except a mortal wound. These five warriors came from five different walks of life and five different areas of Japan. This is the story of Just one of those armors and the warrior it chose.

Shin was always one to try to be the first to the shores for the great festivals in the small fishing village he and his family lived in. He loved the water and he loved what he found in it. He had learned to swim as the other boys and girls had, but unlike them he found that he had a special bond with the sea and all things in it. Knowing this he would often be caught doing things that the others would be to scared to do.

One such day, Shin and his friends were showing off for the girls of the village when a young girl that was new to them all swam out to them and smiled. "Greetings, my name is Chanika, I saw you were having so much fun out here so I thought I might join you."

What Chanika did not know about the local waters was that there were several large mammals swimming in them as well as the usual run of sharks and other such marine life. Just below her was a large porpoise and as Shin sat in the water seemingly calm and waiting for the introductions to be finished, he could not help but grin as Chani, shrieked and was dunked from under the water.

When she came back up spluttering and in a white-hot temper Shin was the only one with her now and the others were off at a distance waiting for the fireworks to start. Her look was pure venom as she glared at an innocent looking Shin. "Don▓t look at me Chani-chan, You were the one that swam out here to us not knowing what exactly inhabited these waters. You were being played with by one of the porpoises that is a part of the local group."

"Yeah, but normally they don▓t pull people that far under the water do they??" Chani was less than pleased with Shin and knew that she could do nothing except fume since she had no proof that any of the boys had done any thing to tell the beast to drag her under.

Shin Grinned at her and then relented. "Look, if you want to get to know that area and the life that lives within these waters you will want to get to know them in person." He offered her his hand and then swiftly, to swiftly for her to cry out to him, dove beneath the waves of the bay and was almost immediately greeted by the porpoise that had dragged Chanika under.

Chani started and made as if to head for the surface but Shin held her down and pointed to the animal that had not moved since it moved to meet them underneath the waves. Chanika held still as Shin swam towards it and as he gently scratched its belly she saw it wriggle in pleasure. With what she saw and the sleek beast seemed to promise no harm to her as it swam up to her slowly and gently nudged her with his nose.

As she gently laid her fingers on its skin to pet it she was surprised that it remained calm as still and not over active as it seemed to sense that she was actually testing herself. She finished the caress and as she found that she had to go to the surface for air the Porpoise followed and stayed on the surface with her now seeming to guard more that accompany her.

Chani▓s face betrayed the fear she felt as she recognized the guarding and protective instinct. Looking around for the others that had been in the water she found that they had all fled for the safety of the land. All that is, except for Shin. He stayed on in the water next to the Porpoise and in the same protective mien, circled Chanika. Looking at her he then explained the odd behavior.

"Chanika-chan, There are sharks nearby, we are fortunate that this one▓s group is also nearby for it was they that warned us of the incoming hunters." Chani had not time to ask about the we in the question but was slowly and calmly herded towards the land. The Porpoise in front of her and Shin behind her or at her side. She followed their guidance and means with out question and found her feet touching the sands of the shallows soon. "Get out of the water calmly Chanika and warn the village with the rest of the group. I will stay here at the shore and keep an eye out for any stray children that might not have headed the warning."

Chanika looked at Shin with something akin to aw4e in her eyes but obeyed the gruff voice and the whipcord of command that was buried in it. She got out of the waters and as soon as she joined the group all of them headed back to the main part of the village at a dead run.

Shin stayed in the water near the porpoise and as he scanned the waters he noticed the unmistakable signs of a large predator on the prowl. Everything was unnaturally still and the guardians of the sea were fully alert. Looking around he saw on the docks nearby that there were several small diving spears from the last diving expedition. He took one of the longer ones and also the Diving knife that was marked as his that no one else used and took to the water again.

Armed only with the knife that was strapped to his wrist and forearm and the long spear he had only his swim clothes on and a friendly denizen of the sea as protection and his wits and knowledge of the sea and its beings as his way to plan.

The sharks were large and unlike their normal ways, they were hunting in a pack. This disturbed Shin, as he knew that he would not be able to protect the peaceful little bay that his family protected for generations with out help. He looked around and as he saw the small circle of sharks he was mildly relieved. There were only a few of them and it looked as if one of them was having some trouble swimming.

As he approached he let them finish their meal and then swam up to them calmly and smoothly as any fish in the sea. Unlike those fish however he was far deadlier in the fact that he was now aware that the Porpoise group had joined him and were prepared to back him up.

The sharks turned and eyed the young man that was swimming up to them as they might eye any other meal until he whacked one of the front members of the group across the nose sharply with the butt of his spear. The sharks backed off and started circling him, but before they could attack, the Porpoises sprang into action and started to use their various clicks to stun the beasts so that Shin could get out of there. The battle was over soon and the sharks driven away, but he could not help but wonder what caused the usually solitary hunters to gang up like that.

As soon as Chanika and the others had reached the village, they started to shout their message until they reached the small center of the fishing village. When they reached there one of the smaller boys ran up to the old horn that hung in the square and blew a long ominous note.

In no time the village square was filled with people and as the Elder reached the square he listened to the boys and then to Chanika. When she was asked where Shin was she looked around since she had assumed that he would be following them shortly and then it dawned on her that he had stayed behind in the bay. She relayed what she thought and was most surprised when the Elder merely nodded and turned to the crowd.

"People, do not be afraid. Mouri Shin stayed at the bay to perform his ancestral duties. He is a Mouri and he will come back as the sharks are gone and the bay is again safe. In the meantime let us start cooking a small gathering so that we may celebrate His coming into his rightful place in the village as the Guardian of the bay."

A cheer went up at this announcement and as Chanika was sent off to help with the cooking she was bewildered that the village did not worry about the young man. When she managed a moment to ask another of the older boys about this curiosity he looked at her strangely and asked her if her own village never had a guardian for its way of life. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As he looked around he saw a dim glow at the bottom of the chasm that was nearby that marked the boundary between the shallower bay waters and the open ocean and deadly tides. As he surfaced he saw that most of the Porpoise group had left him and that the one that had protected Chanika stayed with him as he went to gain the air his lungs starved for and then dove deeply and quickly for the bottom.

Here he pushed his limits. He wanted to know what the glow was that the sharks had been circling because he knew that from the way it glowed, it was not a sea creature. The area was deep and this was far deeper than he had ever tried to dive before. The Porpoise was right there with him and as the water pressure started building even against his exceptional tolerances, it slipped a flipper under his hand and he held on as the gentle beast helped him to finish the journey.

There it was. Embedded at the bottom of the chasm it glowed. A small ball that glowed a brilliant blue and seemed to resonate within him. As he reached out to touch it, the porpoise let go of Shin and the glow intensified for a brief moment.

As Shin looked around he realized that he was in an armor that was light blue and he was breathing as easily as the fish in the sea. What surprised him however was that the Blade that he had carried along with the spear had changed. He now carried a yari in one hand and a tanto blade rested in its shoulder sheath. He then noticed that the deep-sea pressures did not bother him. He could only laugh as he moved around and found that the armor was not an impediment but an asset to his underwater maneuvering.

As he shot to the surface he heard a soft voice calling him, he stopped about halfway up to the surface and as he looked around for the voice that had called his name. ~So you truly are one who listens to the sea Mouri Shin, Now Suiko no Shin.~

Hearing the voice he could only think that it was coming from his mind as he heard a chuckle. ~Shin, you are everything your family would want you to be, and your village is proud of you for what you have taken on. Now you must listen to me for we have only the now to talk.~

Shin raised his eyebrow at the voice but indicated that he was listening. ~You are from a long line of folk that have made a living from the sea. You are also from a long line that have been and always will be known as the guardians of the seas.~

~OK, So you know who I am, Now who the blazes are you??~

~Heheheheheh, Yes, I did quite forget to introduce myself. I am known as the spirit of the Suiko armor, Armor Guardian of the Seas and friend to all in nature. My Belief and symbol is that of faith and I know that it is yours as well or you would not be here.~

~Say what? Just what do you mean by that??~

~You would not be guardian of the seas or the guardian of your village▓s way of life of you did not have faith in the more peaceful denizens of the waters to aide you should you need it.~

~This is true. So now that we have been introduced to each other and I am supposed to trust you. Just what do you propose that I do now. I can not exactly go back to the village looking as I do.~

~You just listen to me and we will get you all sorted out in time to reassure everyone that you are hale, whole, and hearty.~ With that the Spirit told Shin how to partially armor down and then how to fully shed the armor that he was now the bearer of.

As Shin made it back to the village, he could smell the cooking that spelled out feast. Grinning he stepped into an easy jog that carried him the rest of the way into the village. When the younger boys spotted him, they set up such a clamor that soon the entire village knew that he was back from the bay.

Grinning and blushing at the same time, he was rather surprised when he was roughly hauled off to one side. "Mouri Shin, You scared me half to death. What the hell did you think you were doing out there!?!" He immediately recognized the voice as Chanika▓s and he grinned at her irate look. "Easy Chanika, I was doing what my family has been doing for generations. Protecting the bay and this village▓s way of life. Because I have a special bond with most of the sea life here and I am willing to guess most everywhere, I and my family have been Guardians to the Sea."

"Nice explanation Shin but you still scared me. How did you survive those sharks?" Shin was surprised at her forceful nature for it seemed out of character with her slight figure. "Well you know that I mentioned a bond with the creatures of the sea right??" As she nodded he continued. "Well it is that bond that allows me to trust most of the denizens to come to my aide should I need it. In this case it was the Porpoise group that had alerted me in the first place of the problem." Chani▓s look of mild shock was a balm to his bruised feelings, for in truth he was a rather gentle and shy soul. Forceful when needed he would have rather hurt his own toe rather than hurt another living being.

As the understanding grew between then into the evening, Shin found out that Chani would be leaving in the morning. Her family was on a journey to visit some relatives and she was at a stop over point with her parents. Shin was sorry to have met her and get to know her only to know that they might never see each other again. Chani must have felt the same way and more for this young man with a wicked sense of humor and gentle way with everyone. There was no doubt that he was popular with the young women of the village, but the one thing that kept the mothers all at ease was that they all knew him and knew that he would not do any thing to compromise what he did for the village.

But that night as Chani drew him away from the festivities and the people there was a different light in both of their eyes. They walked towards the beach and as they did so no one saw them for they were as silent as shadows until they were far enough from the feast to not be heard. Even then they were not very loud, Chanika had asked Shin of they could speak in private so that she could air some things out to him before she left

As he led her to a smaller cove on the other side of the small bay he protected he felt the Suiko armor warm softly and then quiet. He looked at Chani and saw that in the low moonlight she was beautiful. Her hair was loose from drying and as it swayed in the gentle breeze she looked at Shin differently than before. "Shin, I find that even though I have gone through many villages and have met many people, I have felt closer to you than any one else. This is more than gratitude for saving my life today and I wish to give you something to remember me by."

As Chani looked out to the sea, she did not hear Shin move up behind her until his hand softly touched her cheek forcing her to look into his eyes. His voice was deeper than she remembered and his face was never so handsome as his eyes glowed with the reflected light off the bay. "Chanika, You have been a friend and even though you have been here for only a day I find that I can trust you." Not one for words he tilted his head slightly and kissed her softly.

Chanika was surprised at the gesture and yet at the same time she had hoped for this. Shin was strong yet gentle as he seemed to read her mind through the contact and picked her up, not breaking the kiss and took her back off the beach.

That night was beautiful in their love making, each fulfilled in a way that they would never find again and when the dawn broke the next morning, Shin said goodbye to Chanika and turned back to the village. Chanika looked back to Shin▓s retreating back and wondered if she would ever see him again. Neither of them knowing that she had conceived that night in the midst of their passion neither of them would know that they had been the start of something that would bring them to the future.

Shin never married, forever haunted by the vision of Chani, and so devoted his life to the village and to the bay and after many years was killed in a lightning strike that hit the water where he was swimming to get the stranded either out to sea or closer to the bay where it was better protection from the typhoon.

Chanika was sent away to a little hut of her own to raise Shin-chan, and when he was old enough to seek out his own path in life he returned to the little fishing village where he was told his father was living. When he arrived there, Shin was gone and he was asked to bring his mother to continue the Mouri line. For Shin had been the only son of his parents and the village needed a Mouri Guardian. As Shin-chan agreed he could feel the same pull to the sea that he imagined was the same pull his father felt and went to get his mother.

Chanika was welcomed to the village for they all knew that this was the woman that was the reason that Shin had never married and she was given the title and lands of the Mouri Clan to hold until her son had become the Guardian. And so the story goes on down the line until a young man was born to the Mouri▓s of that village. Each generation would find the Suiko armor and as time wore on it became known as the Torrent armor. And Each Guardian of the Sea and the Armor would meet a painful or violent death. It was accepted by each bearer as a choice that was necessary. And the young man that was born not all that long ago made the same choice. His name is Cye, and he is now the bearer of the Torrent armor and keeper of Faith.

And so ends an old story and in the ending a new one rises from the ashes. It is the story of the armors and their struggles as, The Ronin Warriors. 


End file.
